SuperSpeedMaglev
Wonderfully Old Fashioned
I'm slightly curious, although this does sound like a slightly pointless thread. 
(If so, just close it)
(If so, just close it)
So what's the difference between railways in the UK and USA?
- Thread starter SuperSpeedMaglev
- Start date
I'm slightly curious, although this does sound like a slightly pointless thread.
Loading guage, axle load, vehicle length, minimum curve, total train tonnage, operating philosophy, primary scource of income, electrification, preservation, brakes, couplers, government agencies, NIMBYs, importance to the economy (relatively speaking, not absolute), revenue, trackage rights, locomotive design principles.
Pretty much anything besides "steel wheels on steel rails" and the track guage (4ft 8.5 in) is different. Even the language is different (in technical lingo and general speech).
So, yeah, unless we can find more things that are in common, I can't see the point of this thread.
generalman
Renowned L&N Fanatic
The UK primarily revolves around passenger transportation. The US is strongly focused on freight transportation.
cascaderailroad
New member
The main difference is that they are on opposite sides of the "Big Pond", and may have different size gauges, and have very different looks and hornsounds. :hehe:
US locos are styled to look manly rugged, with exposed piping and equipment, with sharp angled sheet metal, without shrouds and cowling ... Where as UK equipment usually has steam lined style and cowling.
The US usually has dirty, weathered equipment, as we don't usually concentrate on keeping our stuff always: clean, buffed, waxed, polished, and spiffy ... "Dirty diesels and they're done dirt cheap" !
Most of our drivers dress like "Larry the Cable Guy", or "Willy the Gimp" ... as I have rarely see any US train drivers standing up, with their feet sticking out the bottom of the cab, sporting a bright orange blazer and black tie. :hehe:
US locos are styled to look manly rugged, with exposed piping and equipment, with sharp angled sheet metal, without shrouds and cowling ... Where as UK equipment usually has steam lined style and cowling.
The US usually has dirty, weathered equipment, as we don't usually concentrate on keeping our stuff always: clean, buffed, waxed, polished, and spiffy ... "Dirty diesels and they're done dirt cheap" !
Most of our drivers dress like "Larry the Cable Guy", or "Willy the Gimp" ... as I have rarely see any US train drivers standing up, with their feet sticking out the bottom of the cab, sporting a bright orange blazer and black tie. :hehe:
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johnwhelan
Well-known member
Land is expensive in the UK and the UK railways there were many different companies laying track and lots of hills and so forth. So in the US tracks are fairly straight and you can run double stacked containers, double stacked passenger carriages which just wouldn't be possible in the UK. Too many bridges would need to be upgraded, too many tunnels would need to be rebored and the track meanders to minimise the cost of gradients.
Central London has far more passengers than any North American city, London Liverpool is 180 miles, fastest time is 127 minutes, trains are every hour after 5:30 am until 9 pm. Fares vary from 25 to 460 pounds return. London Birmingham roughly every twenty minutes.
Does that give you a flavour?
Cheerio John
Central London has far more passengers than any North American city, London Liverpool is 180 miles, fastest time is 127 minutes, trains are every hour after 5:30 am until 9 pm. Fares vary from 25 to 460 pounds return. London Birmingham roughly every twenty minutes.
Does that give you a flavour?
Cheerio John
cascaderailroad
New member
In the US most cities and towns did not exist before a RR laid tracks into an area, and settlements grew up beside a rail line when it was laid down. A RR usually owned only @ a 60' wide swath of land for a single track line.
Hi everybody.
I would very much agree with what has been stated in this thread by American members of the forum that first and foremost the US railways are predominantly freight orientated whereas the United Kingdom railways are over 95% passenger orientated.
Therefore and with every respect, although being a British citizen I would imagine that the opening poster may not be a regular user of the UK rail network otherwise such a question would not be asked. Therefore can I suggest that superspeedmagalef visit the “rail UK forum”. There he will be very much made aware of the operation of the British rail system which in recent years has very much become an integral part of the UK transport infrastructure with over one and a half billion passenger journeys taken in 2013.
He will also be made aware of all the overcrowding problem, scheduling problem, arguments, gripes, fare charges and most of all penalties faced by those caught travelling without a valid ticket which is a criminal offence in Britain.
Asking for advice on that forum two weeks ago was a medical student in his final year at university where he was about to become a qualified doctor. He was caught by a ticket inspector on a train three stations beyond his valid ticket destination and has been prosecuted by first great Western. The foregoing means (if found guilty) he will have a criminal record for the rest of his life, and anyone with a criminal record is debarred from working in the British health service and many other organisations.
Moral of the story, never even think of getting on a British train without a full valid ticket. I do not think the harsh foregoing would be the same in the United States, or would it be.
Bill
I would very much agree with what has been stated in this thread by American members of the forum that first and foremost the US railways are predominantly freight orientated whereas the United Kingdom railways are over 95% passenger orientated.
Therefore and with every respect, although being a British citizen I would imagine that the opening poster may not be a regular user of the UK rail network otherwise such a question would not be asked. Therefore can I suggest that superspeedmagalef visit the “rail UK forum”. There he will be very much made aware of the operation of the British rail system which in recent years has very much become an integral part of the UK transport infrastructure with over one and a half billion passenger journeys taken in 2013.
He will also be made aware of all the overcrowding problem, scheduling problem, arguments, gripes, fare charges and most of all penalties faced by those caught travelling without a valid ticket which is a criminal offence in Britain.
Asking for advice on that forum two weeks ago was a medical student in his final year at university where he was about to become a qualified doctor. He was caught by a ticket inspector on a train three stations beyond his valid ticket destination and has been prosecuted by first great Western. The foregoing means (if found guilty) he will have a criminal record for the rest of his life, and anyone with a criminal record is debarred from working in the British health service and many other organisations.
Moral of the story, never even think of getting on a British train without a full valid ticket. I do not think the harsh foregoing would be the same in the United States, or would it be.
Bill
Not quite like that up here (down from where you are...) in New England. Our loading gauge is quite a bit narrower than the rest of the US due to tighter space and older construction. The stack trains aren't even double-stacked once they reach Rotterdam Jct. and Mechanicville Yard. The trains have to be unstacked to continue on east because the Hoosac Tunnel is too low. This is why the stack trains favor the old Boston and Albany, now CSX mainline, for now and then route up the old Worcester main on PAR (PAS) to Ayer and beyond on the north unless they are heading for the Boston. There are plans to lower, again, the Hoosac Tunnel to handle the double-stacks, but it's quite expensive and very risky given the age and structure of the tunnel. On the rest of the B&M to Portland, the over bridges are still too low to support double-deck passenger cars, so we can't use the new double-deckers on our commuter trains or SuperLiners on Amtrak's Downeaster.
John
generalman
Renowned L&N Fanatic
A good piece of farm land here in Kentucky runs on average $5,000-$8,000 (3,748-5,997 Euro) an acre, or about .4 hectares. Imagine if CSX payed to "plow" through a few farms, taking up 1,500 acres (607-ish hectares). If they payed regular price (let's say $6,000) it'd cost them $9,000,000 (6,746,626 Euro) just to pay for the land! It's not cheap, across the pond, here either. :hehe:
Some considerable time ago this was a thread discussion and I will generally repeat what I said then.
Apart from all the traditional differences from country to country the most conspicuous and telling distinctive difference is the use. In America the railways are virtually goods (freight over there) and a relatively small output passenger-wise. Over here in Gt Britain it is totally the other way round and pasnger use is way up not far from the 100% although recently there has been some increase but will not be like decades ago. So essentially over the pond it is freight inclined and in Britain, passenger. And as I also said then this is reflected in Trainz where the vast majority of American contributors do freight routes and the British, more or less passenger inclined.
Apart from all the traditional differences from country to country the most conspicuous and telling distinctive difference is the use. In America the railways are virtually goods (freight over there) and a relatively small output passenger-wise. Over here in Gt Britain it is totally the other way round and pasnger use is way up not far from the 100% although recently there has been some increase but will not be like decades ago. So essentially over the pond it is freight inclined and in Britain, passenger. And as I also said then this is reflected in Trainz where the vast majority of American contributors do freight routes and the British, more or less passenger inclined.
A silly question thread nonetheless, but you guys have highlighted an interesting key difference about the freight and passenger bias in the US and UK, respectively.
This is also quite prevalent in Trainz; just look at the type of quality content available for each region. We have (pardon the pun) carloads of amazing US freight content but woefully short on passenger stuff of any sort as outlined in this recent thread. The other side of the pond has been blessed with lots of high-quality BR coach stock of all sorts.
This is also quite prevalent in Trainz; just look at the type of quality content available for each region. We have (pardon the pun) carloads of amazing US freight content but woefully short on passenger stuff of any sort as outlined in this recent thread. The other side of the pond has been blessed with lots of high-quality BR coach stock of all sorts.
Train lengths in the UK are generally much shorter - even freight where the infrastructure rarely permits anything longer than 750 metres and the average freight is around 400 - 500 metres in length. Tonnage is also lower so freight can generally be handled by a single 3300hp diesel loco.
Everything (including freight) runs to a working timetable and even "extras" have to be properly pathed and timed.
Much less permissive working (where trains can follow into an occupied section) and very few locations where single line sections are divided by intermediate signals. There is nothing in the UK to compare with working by train order or track warrant, even RETB radio signalling or the newer ETRMS are still interlocked via a central computer. Relatively few stretches of double or multiple track are signalled for bi-directional movement, so in the event of a blockage single line working by pilotman must be introduced.
The majority of routes now have some form of train stop protection for signals and speed limits, be it AWS backed up by TPWS or ATP type systems.
Everything (including freight) runs to a working timetable and even "extras" have to be properly pathed and timed.
Much less permissive working (where trains can follow into an occupied section) and very few locations where single line sections are divided by intermediate signals. There is nothing in the UK to compare with working by train order or track warrant, even RETB radio signalling or the newer ETRMS are still interlocked via a central computer. Relatively few stretches of double or multiple track are signalled for bi-directional movement, so in the event of a blockage single line working by pilotman must be introduced.
The majority of routes now have some form of train stop protection for signals and speed limits, be it AWS backed up by TPWS or ATP type systems.
ColPrice2002
Well-known member
Over here (UK ), the track is also fenced off so that there shouldn't be animals wandering about.
That's one reason that the passenger trains can hit 70+ mph, even on the local services.
Colin
That's one reason that the passenger trains can hit 70+ mph, even on the local services.
Colin
Hi everybody.
One area where the railways in the UK and the US are simular is most definitely railfans.
It was a day of total chaos on the great Western Mainline into London today following a women and young child very sadly being killed on the line at slough this morning. The problems continued throughout the day with schedules being badly disrupted due to consists running hours late.
However, in the middle of all that this evening the train i boarded at Paddington was further delayed by railfans climbing down on to the track from the station platform to take photographs of the train. With London on very high security alert at present everything at London Paddington immediately came to a halt while the security breach was investigated.
The railfans received very rough treatment from the transport police when apprehended i am glad to say as well as a great deal of verbal abuse from all who had to evacuate the train.
With the forgoing in mind, i have to state that feel it is time that only rail employees, security staff and persons with a valid ticket to travel are allowed anywhere near trains or other railway property. Railfans and others who trespass on railway property should be subject to the severest of penalties.
Bill
Who left home at 05:30 this morning and is still trying to get home at 22:00
One area where the railways in the UK and the US are simular is most definitely railfans.
It was a day of total chaos on the great Western Mainline into London today following a women and young child very sadly being killed on the line at slough this morning. The problems continued throughout the day with schedules being badly disrupted due to consists running hours late.
However, in the middle of all that this evening the train i boarded at Paddington was further delayed by railfans climbing down on to the track from the station platform to take photographs of the train. With London on very high security alert at present everything at London Paddington immediately came to a halt while the security breach was investigated.
The railfans received very rough treatment from the transport police when apprehended i am glad to say as well as a great deal of verbal abuse from all who had to evacuate the train.
With the forgoing in mind, i have to state that feel it is time that only rail employees, security staff and persons with a valid ticket to travel are allowed anywhere near trains or other railway property. Railfans and others who trespass on railway property should be subject to the severest of penalties.
Bill
Who left home at 05:30 this morning and is still trying to get home at 22:00
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cascaderailroad
New member
Penalties like being beaten by a sock full of pennies, D Cell Battry's', or a sack full of frozen oranges :hehe:
Thrown in the wooden Stocks, shackled, and pelted with rotten tomater's and lettuce
Tarred and feathered, and rode out or town, hog tied to a rail
Calling their mother on them ... That would be the worst punishment
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I know this all to well. Here's an example:
A family member told an older family member about problems she's had at school, so I sent the person at school an E-Mail about it (strike 1). When questioned by the older family member who it was the receiver, I told her my cousin (BIG STRIKE 2). Then the younger family member got in trouble over the E-Mail I sent (strike 3). And finally, when my mom told me, I was smiling which I had no idea I was (this usually occurs when I lie) (strike 4). The result: NO COMPUTER FOR A WEEK. And I was working on a route at that time! Anyway, I still had the TV and the Wii to keep me busy.
EDIT: I just remembered, another difference between the UK and the USA, especially in the South, our tea is sweet, and iced, not hot.
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Hi everybody.
Cascaderailroad, it has often been said by rail passengers in Great Britain that railfans are “bears of little brain”. Those thoughts are not something I have generally subscribed to, but with the greatest of respect your posting above does give great credence to the adage.
It could well be that in the United States railfans (no let’s give them their old traditional name that they do not like, TRAIN SPOTTERS) only endanger themselves when accessing the track or other railway property due to the freight nature of the US rail operations.
However, when as in my case yesterday a train in Britain with perhaps over 1000 people on it has to be rapidly evacuated that endangers all those passengers especially the elderly and disabled as there were on that train. Had it not been for the fact that the British transport police quickly established that the cause of the problem where two brain-dead train spotters then the whole of Paddington station would have to have been evacuated and all rail operation ceased when there was already huge disruption and overcrowding due to the earlier incident.
It would seem that a considerable number of modern-day train spotters (not all) are mindless, selfish individuals who really have no place at all in or around today Railways. When I spoke of severe punishments being given out to train spotters who transgressed railway regulations, I was thinking more in terms of a £1000 fine (US$1640) or (AU$1846) along with a lifetime ban from travelling on the railways or accessing any stations or railway property.
Any breach of the above access order could be met by doubling the court fine each time the train spotter was caught. I also feel that platform tickets should no longer be available at main stations which will stop train spotters gaining access to the platforms immediately.
Bill.
Cascaderailroad, it has often been said by rail passengers in Great Britain that railfans are “bears of little brain”. Those thoughts are not something I have generally subscribed to, but with the greatest of respect your posting above does give great credence to the adage.
It could well be that in the United States railfans (no let’s give them their old traditional name that they do not like, TRAIN SPOTTERS) only endanger themselves when accessing the track or other railway property due to the freight nature of the US rail operations.
However, when as in my case yesterday a train in Britain with perhaps over 1000 people on it has to be rapidly evacuated that endangers all those passengers especially the elderly and disabled as there were on that train. Had it not been for the fact that the British transport police quickly established that the cause of the problem where two brain-dead train spotters then the whole of Paddington station would have to have been evacuated and all rail operation ceased when there was already huge disruption and overcrowding due to the earlier incident.
It would seem that a considerable number of modern-day train spotters (not all) are mindless, selfish individuals who really have no place at all in or around today Railways. When I spoke of severe punishments being given out to train spotters who transgressed railway regulations, I was thinking more in terms of a £1000 fine (US$1640) or (AU$1846) along with a lifetime ban from travelling on the railways or accessing any stations or railway property.
Any breach of the above access order could be met by doubling the court fine each time the train spotter was caught. I also feel that platform tickets should no longer be available at main stations which will stop train spotters gaining access to the platforms immediately.
Bill.
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simulatortrain
jointed freaking rails
The difference would be fencing off the right of way to prevent animals from damaging the train vs. building them heavy enough that it won't do any damage. I never understood the lack of permanent headlights there for a while, fences or not.